2002 Château des Charmes Equuleus (Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard)

Equuleus is a constellation better known as ‘little horse’ or ‘foal’. Small and faint, this grouping of stars is no representation for the wine bearing it’s name. Paul Bosc and family at Château des Charmes might consider this their special child, only produced during quality fruit years it is most often the wine that will be presented when visiting as ‘special’. I have often times said that I admire and respect the Boscs for their attention to detail. Some dozen years ago I was blessed to have sat, talked and sipped with Madame Bosc one evening as she recounted the days of setting up the winery and the stories still remain with me. She is a wonderful storyteller and if you can ever get her alone for a few minutes she will surely educate and amuse you at the same time. It was during this one particular session that I truly understood how detail oriented and meticulous the family was and it is those qualities which have led them to be one of the foremost wine-makers in Canadian history. The Equuleus label is a Bordeaux style blend all sourced from the Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard. It is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in a 50/25/25 percent amounts. When I first tasted this a few years back I was not actually a fan, it was young and all over the place, but at the recommendation of several people I choose to buy two bottles none the less and put them away. Today it was deemed time to open the first, so on to the tasting!

We decanted this wine and it had quite a bit of sediment. The nose was intensely berry, cherry, black and raspberries grabbed the attention. The first few sips added to the berry sensation. Tannins were evident but not overwhelming. As we sank into it black cherry, strawberry, chocolate with hints of oak and cinnamon danced around our palate. This is a sophisticated red, well balanced, enjoyable fruit, slight oak, it really is a winner. While the tannins are still quite evident, I would not leave this cellared for any more then 2 to 4 more years, as I think anything longer then that will take away from this outstanding wine. Without a doubt this is one of the top three wines I have had this year.